Affligem Blond | Brouwerij De Smedt / Brouwerij Affligem

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Had this one at B.J's the other night and I quite enjoyed it. It poured a very good golden color with a great fluffy white head that stayed with the beer till the end. The smell was great with a good mix of bananna, alchohol and malt. The flavor of this one reminded me of a Hefeweizen on steroids with its big bananna and clove flavor, but the aftertaste of alchohol changed things drasticly and reminded me quickly that I was not drinking a hefe! All in all this was a good interpretation of the style and a beer I might revisit in the future.

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 11.2oz bottle into a tulip glass. It has a "produced on date" date but no abv.

Appearance: It has a hazy orange amber body with tons of beautiful champagne like carbonation. In fact this one slowly bubbled up out of the bottle right after I opened it. From the pour it builds a tall frothy off white head that hang on well and makes lots of lacing on the glass.

Taste/Palate: Like the nose I get the funky fruity yeast and sweet bready character with a touch of spicy/leafy hops. This brings some mellow bitterness and dryness to the finish. The palate has a very drinkable medium body with lively carbonation.

Appearance- Warning, this is a potential gusher. Bunches of head that seems to have little retention. However, it does slow down and linger at about two fingers. The head is a pure cotton white while the body is a pale amber that shows lemon hues when held up to the light. A little bit of lacing is left behind.

Nose- Very Belgian, very much dominated by the yeast. Spicy, bananas, and cloves. Light notes of honey. Swirling reveals even more banana, such that it is almost creamy and suggest marshmallow. I get some apple from the bottle but not really from the glass.

Taste- Very reflective of the nose- reminiscent of a lot of tripels that I've had. Loads of banana, cloves, and a very spicy finish. Some coriander, lemon peel, and apple. A little bit of a nutty and woody finish. Spice makes the tongue tingle. Could use a little bit more presence than just the nice finish of cloves, coriander, and cinnamon. Nothing wrong, it's just that this beer gets a little boring. Still quite nice and a fairly solid beer. Simplifies to mostly banana and the aforementioned spices. Yeast character matches my palette well. Present but not domineering with only a little bit of bitterness. Definitely a good beer.

Mouthfeel- A little more than light bodied with hints of creaminess and syrup. Good amount of carbonation that matches the tingle of the spice. Nice dry finish keeps this beer clean.

Drinkability- Very easygoing. Very tasty but gets a little boring. No heat and very sessionable. Three dollars a bottle seems fairly reasonable.

Overall- Pretty good beer, stays within the wide range of this style. Reminds me a little of New Belgium Tripel but with more spice and less banana. I would give this a try. I could also see myself buying this again.

Golden pour with an absolutely enormous head. Some champagne yeast in the taste with moderate hop bitterness. A mild sweetness takes shape mid-sip and combines with the hops for a bitter and lingering finish. A very crisp mouthfeel....mostly clean and lively. A very good blond. I liked it alot.

LOOK: (2.5 / 5) Pours a light-honey coloured gold. It was clear. However, there were a lot oflittle clumps of what I suspect were trub floating around in it! It looked like a snow globe. I've seen them without this, which would really improve the score here, so I may write a review of a draught version later. In this instance, though it was offputting and cost it. Head was white, and rose to about 2-3 fingers and had a good stand and good lacing.

SMELL: (3.5 / 5) The nose is dominated by malts more than anything else. This had a breadcrust or biscuit aroma and some pretty strong dried apricot aromas. The yeast is subdued for a belgian ale, though there is some bubblegum and floral notes. Hops are minimal.

TASTE: (4.0 / 5) The lighter malts of biscuit and apricot take centre as on the nose. I noted a slight hint of pear or sweet apple present on the palate that wasn't there on the nose. Bitterness is lighter, but acts well against the sweetness making for a relatively balanced beer. The yeast is a little more subdued in the flavor than in the nose, and of those flavors the bubblegum remains the strongest.

FEEL: (3.5 / 5) The feel is medium-light in body and medium-high carbonation to go with it. No real lasting bitterness. Alcohol is slightly warming, but not hot. A tiny bit too sweet and cloying for my liking.

DRINK: (4.0 / 5) The most impressive element here, really. For a maltier beer, this is a really drinkable and nicely balanced brew and can stand as a session beer.

Food-wise, the best I can think of would be pears and dates wrapped in bacon with a balsamic vinegar reduction. But the carmelized/sour tones of a balsamic reduction on meats would do well also.

A: Medium gold and very clear with a creamy white head that leave a good bit of lacing on the glass.
S: The first whiff smells like a good German Pilsner with a spicy hop aroma and a soft, sweet pilsner malt aroma. There is a touch of honey and a moderately-light perfume alcohol aroma. Moderately-light orange aroma come through as well.
T: There is a moderate pilsner malt sweetness initially thought it finish fairly dry. The hops and alcohol team up to give a medium bitter balance to the sweetness. The spicy hops flavor is moderately-low.
M: Medium bodied with a pretty high level of carbonation that gives a bubbly sensation on the palate.
O: A very enjoy belgian with a decent amount of bitterness, some sweetness and a dry finish.

FLAVOR- Fresh cracker malt base with floral and spicy aromatics on the top end. Hints of anise, vanilla, and rose ride a long, dry, lightly bitter finish. This beer is superb and I can tell I got a really fresh bottle somehow. It is extremely subtle and balanced. Very pretty. Very bright. Exceptional. A slight hint of bubblegum pops out with warmth.

Mouthfeel-Medium-light bodied, fluffy, warming.

OVERALL- One of the most drinakable strong blonde / tripels I've ever had. Very balanced and refined. I'm impressed.

Bright golden/amber in color topped with a very tight and thick white foam head, which retains very well and creates a fine clinging lace. I left the chunky goodness in the bottle, to consume after the review.

Big floral and herbal nose, with spicy pepper and blossom honey.

Sharp-ish on the palate. Creamy and lively carbonation action on the palate that tingles and bites. Near astringent puckering bitterness blends with a dry and quenching edge. Phenols (faint medicinal) and pepper add complexities, while a soft honey-like sweetness provides perfect balance. Some bready notes as the beer warms, with a pronounced sweetness. Dry finish, touch of floral oil and powdery grain in the finish. Bone-dry linger.

Affligem Bottle: picked a couple of these up for the wife and I to try.

Appearance: Pours a golden apricot color with a very large white fluffy head that dissolves into a nice foam slick after a few minutes. I tried my absolute best to minimize the head on the wife's I poured after mine.

Very nice color and character, the lacing hangs around as well.

Smell: very aromatic with a nice blend of blossom and spice coming through. It smells great with very little alcohol detection.

Taste: full of flavor, better when it has sat for a bit then the flavors seem to come out. A very citrus taste with hints of herbs rosemary mixed with thyme, bit of coriander. I'm a butcher/sausage maker by trade and it tasted like a mixture of those three, but not one specific. Hops are definitely present. Very pleasing. It's not harsh, nor does it have an aftertaste.

Mouth: very carbonated at first, let it sit for a bit if you don't like overpowering fizz. The remaining carbonation does ad to the bite of the flavor that is much appreciated. I'd say it's medium/light on texture.

Drink: I enjoy it and would buy it again. It's definitely not a 'chuggin' beer, but one more to be enjoyed slowly on all levels. It definitely has a different taste, I'll be searching for more beers like this in the area, this was the first Belgian Pale I've tried as I mostly stick to stouts.

Taste: Very smooth and slightly crisp with a moderate body. There is a sweetness through out that changes hand from the honey like malt to the sweetish alcohol that veers towards spicy also. Hops are subdued and give only a faint bitterness and flavour, mild phenols lend an herbal quality which follows the grain right into the finish. As the alcohol still warms the mouth there is still a trace honey flavour in the end.

Notes: Just strong enough to cut the chill out of a damp fall day yet deceivingly light where I could drink more than one.

12 oz bottle served at cellar temperature, with all the yeast. Pours a hazy, honey gold with a one inch "shaving cream" head. Nice sheet lacing and very good head retention. Aroma is very fruity up front, with orange and banana leading the way. Coriander, and possibly nutmeg follow. Mouthfeel is silky smooth and has a lot of fizzy carbonation. Taste begins with a dry and bitter biscuity note. Pale malts are very obvious. Some tart fruitiness tries to be assertive, but some hops bitterness knocks back the balance toward dry and bitter. Alcohol is well hidden, but can be noted as this nears room temperature. Finish is dry and bitter. Overall, it's a decent Belgian pale ale, but not one I would buy again.